Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Good old days and Feet Music sound good
This is what I mean when I say I hate jazz. My favourite part was the silence in between songs. Absolutely started my day off on the wrong foot.
This is what I imagine a seizure would sound like in my head. 1 star
uuuurrrrrgghhhh Listen: I don't like to hate on experimental albums. I see all the fact that they're some of the lowest-rated albums and I can't help but give 'em the sideeye. I mean, I get it, I really do: this kind of music absolutely isn't for everyone. I'm not asking people to like these albums. I'm not saying even **I** like all of them! But I read some of these reviews, and I think it'd be worthwhile for some of these people to acknowledge that even if you don't like these albums, they **are** expanding your musical horizons. These are albums trying to expand the definition of what "music" can be, and it's shit you'll never hear on 'Rumours' or 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' or any other highly-rated album from the 60's or 70's. 'Kollaps,' 'Duck Stab!/Buster & Glan,' 'Scum,' 'They Were Wrong, So We Drowned...' I appreciate what they're doing, if nothing else. Which actually leads me to a funny thing about me and experimental music. I've explained this somewhere else before, but when it comes to this kind of material, I sometimes feel like I get it... Y'know, **too much**? Like I have some kind of hidden third ear that can listen through the strangeness and the noise to understand what's going on underneath. And more often than not: I'm bored, actually. 'Trout Mask Replica,' as an example, kind of bores me. I don't mean to sound like one of those "I'M SO CRAZY TO ME WEIRD AL IS JUST NORMAL AL" guys, but seriously: it just doesn't sound that weird to me. Believe me: an album has to actively get up in my craw for me to truly, honestly dislike it — or, using the softest version of this word that I can, hate it. To this point, I've yet to give out more than ten 1's. I've granted exactly eight (and, frankly, it should be seven; I was maybe a bit **too hard** on Limp Bizkit). I'm far from the most positive in my group, but I **always** to try to be fair to an album. You hafta **really** piss me off or bug me or just plain bore the ever-loving shit out of me to get me to hate an album. So, please, do truly believe me: I intended to give this album every fair shot I could. Every benefit of the doubt. Every little scrap of good will it did or did not deserve. Like, maybe, just maybe, I'll see something in it that so many other people ha This is just noise. I do not say that lightly. In fact, I **hate** calling albums noise. But this... I mean, you can give me all the context you want, in regards to this guy's "hardcore miniature" style, or Ornette Coleman's own free jazz work... Any excuse about how this is "jazz for the post-punk generation." This is noise. It's like... You know, I've talked before about this idea, where I assume there are people who will do whatever random, thoughtless shit they want and call it "experimental" or "avant-garde" to get away with it. And believe, there's a difference between "chaos" and "random-ass shit." On no other album have I felt that that's true than this album. From the sound of it, I would honestly believe they're not actually playing a single Ornette Coleman. You could tell me that they spent the whole time improvising and I'd believe it. Hell, you could tell me the horns and the drums were recorded at different times, in different studios, in different countries, on different **continents**, and that neither group ever met up and had no idea what they were recording for, and that this was all haphazardly assembled in post, and I'd damn believe you. Like, yeah, it fits one of my points: I'll never hear **this shit** on 'Abbey Road!' But them, would I **want to**? I mean, I'm pretty sure I could hear this from any random jazz ensemble farting around as a **joke**. I **needed** to hear this? This "deconstruction of jazz" or whatever? If this is deconstruction, then it's in that sort of way where it kind of hates its targets and is just not interested in being kind to it. The "But what if Superman was evil?" of jazz. And, y'know, I see people complaining about albums being or not being on this list. The "review" that's been a thorn in my side for the longest is one for Deep Purple's 'Made In Japan' that's largely just the author whining about how MF DOOM isn't on this list. Like, I try to avoid that sort of thing myself, because I assume that even if I don't like the album, it has to be here for a **reason**. Even if it's just the editor's love for obscure British acts, there has to be **something**. And, I mean, with this album... I mean, let me tell you this: this is the only Ornette Coleman album on this list. Again: **this is the only Ornette Coleman album on this list**. 'The Shape Of Jazz To Come?' The album I'd **assume** you'd put on a list like this, if you were going to include an Ornette Coleman album at all? One of the most controversial, yet influential jazz records of all time? Completely absent from this list. But **this** is here. And I'm not just bringing this up for nothing, I should say. I actually went and sampled some of 'The Shape Of Jazz To Come,' and believe you me — it's not just noise! Sure, it's very freeform, but it never all just blends into each other as two drummers compete to see who can play the loudest. There's far more understandable intention here! It doesn't leave me sitting in my chair, slack-jawed because I just can't believe that I'm supposed to be **impressed** by this. Seriously, maybe John Zorn is better elsewhere, on one of his other albums — I don't wanna judge his whole oeuvre by one album — but it's not like I've been given much incentive to find out, y'know? Experimental music is supposed to push the boundaries of music. Like, everything could be just Top 40 radio hits. Enjoyable? Sure. Pleasant? Sure. But is any of it actually interesting? Mostly not. Experimental musicians are here to tell you that there's a whole wide world out there, where music can be whatever you want. It can be nice and melodic — or it can be strange, or harsh, or atonal, or just plain rough. Some people just **need** that. I mean, would you really wanna live in a world where no one ever pushed boundaries? Where no one had the **freedom** to take music and shape it as they pleased? It'd be a pretty boring world, if you asked me. Even if you dislike it, just **hate it** — you hafta appreciate what it's doing. But I have my limits. And this is a step way too far beyond them. Whatever the audience is for this album — I'm not part of it. And to the people who can hear the secret sauce that makes this one of their favorites: I'm happy for you. I really am. I wish I could hear what you did. But I gave it my all, and I just can't. Thank goodness **this** wasn't the shape jazz to come. Jazz wouldn't have been dead — but damn if it wouldn't have smelled something awful.
Apple had good reason for not adding this album to its streaming library.
I thought I would like this. I didn't.
I would absolutely give this a negative if I could. So bizarre and rambunctious. No thanks!
It is like they think jazz should be played like Sheldon Cooper describes jazz, "they just play all the notes together". This isn't a tribute to the great Ornette Coleman. I would suggest finding all the tracks performed by Coleman and listen to them that way. Much better.
survived it with only minimal damage
No, just no.
Bad. I don't get the attention of this kind of jazz. And before any hip cats who think they are in the know say, " if I have to explain it you won't get it". Everyone living in the real world know you have no clue eather.
the album isn’t on spotify do idk what to do with this but based on other peoples reviews it’s just shit jazz so
Dear Lord, what in the actual hell was this. It sounded like the drums were beating the shit out of the saxophones for half the album, and at one point I swear I heard an elephant getting strangled in the background. I did not know thrash jazz was apparently a thing, and I was better off before learning that. This was just pure chaos to me. Not the fun kind either, just nonstop noise that felt like it was trying to start a fight with my speakers.
Not on streaming
Musical vandalism
This is the exact kind of chaotic jazz I have always hated. Maybe they have something to say, maybe it's a different experience for them playing it. But for me it's unpleasant noise that would best be played if you were trying to get me to divulge state secrets.
This is a wall of sound that pierces my eardrums. Not my thing. A complete crazed saxophone/jazz riff where all songs sound alike. Wanted to like it but the chaos hits me nowhere.
This sounds like all the instruments have been thrown into the dishwasher and then the dishwasher has been turned on and thrown down the stairs. Oh and the dishwasher is on fire. 1 star: an absolute casserole of a record
Pretentious horseshit. John Zorn has only ever been played for me by hipsters trying to dunk on my taste in music.
Geez - this makes me uptight and nervous. That's not what I like my music to do.
nah.
Very samey. I do not like jazz and albums like this only vindicate my opinion of it.
Just a jumbled mess of noise.
2/10… free jazz / avantgarde
Pure jazz fart smelling, not worth anyone's time to listen to.
Nothing I could hear or will hear again
Sorry chief, couldn't do it. No clue if this turns into something more cohesive at some point. But I wasn't hanging around to find out.
Kind of just noise.
That's a No from me
I was immediately like “nope.” Now I’ve finished the album and I’m still like “nope.”
Klangliche Körperverletzung. John Zorn macht aus Ornette Coleman ein hysterisches Saxophon-Massaker. Keine Seele, kein Groove – nur Lärm, Chaos, und Aggro-Jazz für Masochisten.
tf is this
Not an enjoyable experience There were a few moments of clarity but not enough to cancel out my 1 star rating
"RANDOM BULLSHIT GO" the album. It's a cacophony of sounds that give off the impression that the album wants you to fuck off and never come back. The sad part is? Sometimes it clicks together and is actually damn decent.
It fails to meaningfully incorporate the things that make punk music great while pissing off people who don't need pissing off. Jazz purists are permanently miserable by themselves already. And worst of all I still have 20 minutes left. This made me regret my self imposed rule of not skipping anything.
The sound of a mental breakdown.
I did not like this. The music stressed me out!
Fucking hell.
Favorite Song: There isn't one
I'm not cool enough for this.
How is this even on the list? It’s just 40 minutes of nonsense experimental jazz that sounds like a migraine. This is awful
40 minutes of brutal, in your face, hardcore jazz. Not good. At all.
Listen, I will play zis only once! Experimental thrash fusion jazz with barely a melody in earshot. It might be your favourite migraine but it ain't mine.
Musical chaos, not my type of tea but you can tell that they are all great players
Tried to listen to this It’s like jazz on meth. Frenetic and noisy and loud….but not in a good way. This is the album equivalent of the tweaked out guy at the entrance of a 7-11.
Not on Spotify
Noget jazz punk agtig noget. Skal jeg være helt ærlig lyttede jeg kun til 10 min.
I did it. I listened to it all the way through. It was awful and horrible and I hated every minute of it like I knew I would. But I did it. I wish I could give it 0/5.
Spotify doesn't let you play this album ... be like Spotify
Yeah, fuck this noise.
I guess im not musically educated or old enough to really appreciate what these musicians are doing. However, this aggressive free jazz record is not something I can enjoy at all.
I only found playlist on YTM with most of the songs. I believe that whole album would not sounded any better for me.
It's as if they recorded a bunch of musicians separately, said play whatever you want as long as it's fast and loud, and then played them all on top of each other
Nah fam this ain’t the one for me.
I'm sorry, but I can't finish this. I realize the musicianship behind it is good, but it was an amazing feeling just to turn it off.
I have never been more thankful for ads on YouTube. 1/5
Art is subjective but this is buns.
A wild collection of spastic cacophony, strictly for the snootiness jazzophiles. WARNING: This album may cause epileptic seizures.
I am sure this took so much talent to make, but I just could not sit there for 45 minutes listening to the absolute cacophony of whatever that was.
This is a joke right? Probably a reason this isn't on Spotify as it cant be classed as music? Absolutely awful. Sounds like someone put a bunch of instruments into a tumble dryer and recorded it.
Ég setti þessa djassplötu á fóninn á meðan ég var í vinnunni. Þægilegt að hlusta á djass á meðan en svo fer þessi plata í gang og ég gat eiginlega ekki einbeitt mér. Þetta var alveg hreint afskaplega erfitt áhlustunar og ég var svo feginn þegar yfir lauk. Aldrei aftur takk.
Its all a bit unnecessary!! There is some tuneage in there but in the words of Otis Lee Crenshaw ' a Jazz band is just the sound of a blues band being pushed down a set of stairs"
This sounds like someone is trying to play 3 hours of jazz, but only had an hour of studio time to record.
This starts in pure cacophony. I actually thought I was accidentally playing it on 2x speed. I am NOT liking this so far. It is painful to listen to. When will it end. I don't think I can make it through 41 minutes of this. Sounds like 4 albums are playing at once and my dog is playing with a squeaky toy during it. I keep thinking it's going to change to actual music at some point but it's not. This is torturous. Truly ear splittingly awful. I typically love jazz and this is making me hate the whole genre. The best parts are the parts when each song ends. It's stressing out my dog! I feel like if someone enjoys this, they're the worst kind of pretentious. yes I understand that it's probably musically impressive to accomplish but that doesn't make it GOOD. It gets SLIGHTLY better in the middle but not by enough. Sounds like geese being massacred. Or a middle school band of bees on cocaine. If I was Ornette Coleman, I'd be truly upset by this. Sounds like a circus caught on fire. If this isn't in the bottom 10, I'll be amazed. Hopefully I can give it no stars, but if I have to give it one, it will be because it made me appreciate any other music more. I'm not even half-way through it. I desperately hope my neighbors can't hear this through the floor, because if I were them I'd call in a noise complaint to the cops. But I also can't bear to wear headphones while listening to this.
Unlistenable. Tried listen with my all, but it is the type of jazz for people who absolutely love jazz with their soul, or people who hate themselves. Clearly the musicians are passionate for the music and they have respect for its creator because why else would 5 talented musicians come together to make this cacophony of noise. Lineup consists two saxophone players, two drummers and a bass player. Imagine if everyone was giving a full on solo of every note all the time at once. Midway thru I thought it was going to pivot and get better which it did for a moment before continuing with the emotional car crash that is this album.
Oh man. What the hell was that?!?! I kind of like the aesthetic even though it was borderline unlistenable. Pure chaos. 1.5/5
I feel like for this review thing to make sense I need to listen to an album in its entirety regardless if I enjoy it or not. This album was an exception. I could not get through more than 4 and a half songs. It just felt like noise. Call me uncultured or incapable of understanding the “complexity” of whatever this is, but I will never be listening to it again.
Nope
Im sure this was fun to play, however, it was not fun to listen to.
Finally got around to listening. Wow
Sometimes you should be asking "Why?" and not just, "Why Not?".
The first five minutes of this ensures that it can never be anything but a one-star review. Fuck that. I don't care that people will generously call it avant-garde - it's either pretentious wank, or just noise. The result is the same. Sad thing is that interesting things actually start to (slowly and unevenly) happen from 5 minutes and forward, but it’s not nearly enough, and nothing about this is essential listening. No shit this garbage is not on Spotify.
Jestas mitä jazzia. Nyt ei auennut yhtään.
1/10 Oh god. The devil horn. In stereo, playing different random notes while a drummer violently disagrees with them both on anything that might be construed as a cohesive sound. It's relentless, although on a couple of occasions a tune tries to break out, only to be brutally assaulted around the head with a barrage of sax notes blasted at the full limit of the infernal instrument's gasping worst. I ran out of time and inclination to make it to the end, but unless there is some kind of musical epiphany halfway through, I don't think anything was going to happen to change my mind.
Getoeter! En niet een beetje. Wat een zenuwenmuziek zeg. De koppijn! Geen idee wie die Ornette Coleman is, maar ik hoop dat zij er plezier aan heeft beleefd. Ik niet, in ieder geval.
Vrije jazz volgens wiki. Nou wiki, er is een verschil tussen vrije jazz en een kakofonie...
Free jazz fusion met thrashcore a la Napalm Death. Ik vrees vooraf al het ergste, dus op zich kan het alleen maar meevallen. Het begint gelijk al met chaotische toeters, waar weinig melodie in te herkennen valt. Op de achtergrond rost er iemand (of schijnbaar 2 mensen) zo chaotisch mogelijk op een partij drums. Af en toe komt er een stuk voorbij waar wel enige samenhang in zit, dan is het een soort jazzcompositie met wat hardere strakkere rocky drums. Jazzdrum is meestal een soort van ritmisch getik, terwijl bij andere muziekstijlen vaak harder op de vellen wordt geslagen. Ik heb het uit kunnen luisteren. Het was voornamelijk chaotische jazz, niet de stijl jazz die ik prefereer, voor zover ik uberhaupt iets met jazz heb. Ik had het allemaal erger verwacht, al was ik voorbereid op het ergste. Napalm Death was een stuk kutter. Ik kom op een 1,5 uit, wat ik graag naar beneden afrond.
TRASH
Couldn't get this on my streaming service, but I know Coleman's stuff. Too bad, I like the source material.
I've heard of John Zorn before in the context of him collaborating with Mike Patton so I knew I'm going to hear some absolutely fucked up music. And I wasn't wrong. I do think this is something people should hear to experience how weird music can get. While it didn't give me a headache I'm still only going to give it 1/5
I had to hunt THAT down? I should have just cheated on this one. (ntm.)
I can absolutely appreciate that different types of music can connect with different people and honestly that's sort of the coolest thing about music for me - the discovery - finding what affects me and allows me to really connect with it. When I read about people who like and appreciate this though, I try to understand what it is that they hear here that I don't. It just doesn't make sense to me. I hear a cacophony, nothing more. How anyone can listen to this and hear music, and can connect with whatever is happening here is baffling and outside of my comprehension. This is the opposite of everything that I know and love about the music that I enjoy listening to.
No......just no
TOO MUCH!
338/1001 🌗🌑🌑🌑🌑
Nazi scum can fuck off
Woof, that's over. Going to put on some soothing vibraphone lullabies or ambient music now.
4/16/25. Perhaps I just didn't understand what was happening in this record, I found it to be noisy as hell.
Horrible, screechy, unpleasant noise.
not available on spotify
I gave this about ten minutes on Youtube and it's borderline unlistenable. It sounds like I let my 6-year-old and her friends loose on a saxophone and a drum kit and recorded the results. I understand there must have been a lot of talent required to perform this, but that talent would've been better spent actually producing somewhat coherent music.
Hardcore jazz just isn't my thing. And I'm too old to learn to appreciate it. I just get a headache. I'm sorry I couldn't finish the album.
I only lasted two minutes for the first listen. The second listen I endured the whole thing. But it was hell.
Y’all are listening to this? It stressed me out. Truly can’t imagine anyone enjoying this.
This is not music, don't care what anyone says. Truly awful collection of noises
I'm a jazz fan but I never liked Ornette Coleman's music so I'm not going to like it any better if John Zorn is playing it. This is anti-music, unbearable and unlistenable. Aimless, self-indulgent crap is still crap no matter who is playing it. Truly horrible.
dogshit
Can’t find.
Way to experimental, just noise
Triggered my fight or flight.
Had zin in rustig muziekje Dit was geen rustig muziekje Werd er erg onrustig van Nee niet voor mij
is it something I’m glad to have heard - possibly. Is it something I’d willingly listen to again - no.
Another tough one to find AND listen to. Sound likes what? I have no idea.
disgusting
Unlistenable.
Unlistanble, no cohesion or structure what so ever
Gave up after about 4 tracks
Nicht abspielbar.
This is just unlistenable atonal noise. When I say I really hate jazz this nonsense is exactly what I'm talking about. This is getting-Noriega-to-leave-the-embassy level noise.
I was awoken at 4am by my apartment's fire alarm and somehow that wasn't the worst sound I heard today.
Not on Spotify
Well this isn't on Spotify, but I'm going to listen to a few songs on youtube.
Not for me
I don't feel like I NEEDED to listen to this.
This album is what happens when you tell kids they can be anything they want when they grow up. It's like they handed a bunch of grade school kids instruments and told them to play the Jazz album the teacher just played for them.
I try not to be too negative on albums because I believe that all music is art, but this was shit. Maybe I don't understand a certain message or theme that it's trying to convey, and I don't really care. I know for damn sure that I'm not listening to this album any more than I have just to find some, "meaning." My ears need a break and a few tissues to stop the bleeding.
Yeah, this is horrible noise.
Nah man. Just nah
Been a while since ive heard a true 1 star. Simply unlistenable. A 180 second concept drawn out over 2460 seconds
Yeah bro let's write an album where you play the same exact fast drum/cymbal beat for an hour straight and I'll play the trumpet like I'm in 8th grade band
BUNS HOLY SHIT
Pre-listening thoughts: you know what? Hell yeah. I am so glad that today’s album is going to be dogshit. And you know why? Because I have had so much new music of my own discovery in my rotation, I don’t have to make space for anything else new right now. I can spend these 24 hours relishing some other great albums while giving this album the one time pass over it deserves. But I will also say before listening to this that I have taken so many music history classes that I DO in fact know who Ornette Coleman is. I have never seen a class recoil the way people did when professors would play Ornette Coleman’s music after playing Miles Davis or John Coltrane. It is very freeform as is, without John Zorn’s input. So this is going to be a disaster. Post/during listening thoughts: this is exactly what I expected 😭. It’s freeform jazz, just with more noise. The two drummers were… a choice, but the latter half of this album is occasionally listenable (at least as listenable as its source material). I still would never sit down and listen to this again. 1.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Feet Music Least fav tracks: pretty much the entire first half
Yeah nah this sucks. It’s just noise for 40 odd minutes, half of it doesn’t even really sound like music. Feet Music was okay but it’s very difficult to get through all the songs before it. Everything else was pretty much utter crap.
Once again reminding me that I don't appreciate jazz. As I described to Devon, this sounds like you set a large group of toddlers loose on a roomful of musical instruments after you fed them speed. I found it very unpleasant to listen to. Rating: 1
Can’t list to
What do you want to know, just ask and I’ll tell you , but please….please don’t make me listen to more of this.
Literally sounds like if someone took a group of middle school band kids and made them play Sing, Sing, Sing (Benny's Goodman version, the best version). Not mad at it being on the list, but I don't like it...like at all, besides some swing moments.
Fuuuuuuuuuuck no.
No.
Couldn’t access
Props to whoever can make it through this
What am I missing? It sounded like instruments screaming at each other.
Painful listen. Not sure how this is supposed to be enjoyable. Couldnt even make it halfway.
Jeg elsker at sådan noget lort her eksistere. Det får alt andet til at være tålligt. Klokke klar 1er. Og jeg var aldrig i tvivl.
LMAO WTF
This making it on here, but nothing actually by Ornette Coleman, is the perfect summary of the 1001 Album list.
Not available on Spotify. Who are you , Neil Young. Even Neil is back
Me no likey
uh-oh. the once lowest ranked album on this list. and it is free jazz. instead of listening to this, i'd rather give throbbing gristle or the birthday party a 4 or 5 than listen to this shit, because these two sounds pretty good when compared with this shit. 1/5
Utter dogshit
Not good, no groove
I’m just not into jazz
I appreciate the attempt to experiment. But seriously, who the fuck is this music for.
Kan vara den värsta skivan på denna lista. Totalt olyssningsbart.
Like they threw an orchestra down the stairs at Whetherspoons. 0 stars.
finally, an album that answers the question "what if the ending of 21st Century Schizoid Man lasted 40 goddamn minutes?"
Hm, eigentlich schade, warum spielt man eine 33er LP auf 78 ab? Andererseits sehr überraschend, ein Saxophon auf Speed zwischen den ganzen Singer-Songwritern und Post-Grunge Bands zu finden. Da hat der Ersteller der 1001-Liste sich wohl im Drogenrausch versehen.
A full noise misch-masch. Not for my ears. I would like to give it a thumb down. Definitely not my cup of tea.
What the fuck man?
Not available on Spotify
I could not find this one, but as I recall, this must be jazz and I probably wouldn't have liked it anyhow.
Spy v. Spy is an iconic comic from Mad Magazine. Which, it was neat to find out, was created by a Cuban cartoonist specializing in political satire who fled Cuba as Fidel Castro nationalized the Cuban press. Now I have to do my best to forget about John Zorn's "Spy vs. Spy," in the hopes that the chaotic jazz noise will not pop into my head any time I see Antonio Prohías' black and white bomb-obsessed spies. I wish the spies had stuck a bomb in Zorn's saxophone.
It's like everyone in a jazz band is performing their most hard core solo at the same time without paying any attention to what the rest of the band is doing. It is the aural equivalent of flashing, flickering lights and should come with a warning that it can cause seizures. Pure cacophony.
This album reminds me of a specific scene from Kindegarten Cop. Teacher: You know, kindergarten is like the ocean. You never want to turn your back on it. Schwarzenegger enters his classroom to find absolute chaos. Kids running around screaming. Some painting the chalkboard red. Another dumping a bag of flour everywhere. And a kid dancing all over the piano keys. That scene is this album. And then… Schwarzenegger: SHUT UUUUPPPPP!!!! Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuppppp. He refers to them as monsters. I agree.
This is hot garbage. So little, if any, was enjoyable with this heap of trash. I recognize there were two drummers on this album, but never before have I thought music could contain too much drumming! But I don't want to blame the drums solely, because John Zorn must be held accountable for this discordant piece of shit.
Thrashy improv-sounding jazz? Anyone who knows me could have immediately guessed that this would not be my thing. But here we are. What an absolute nonstop cacophony. Couldn't have enjoyed this less.
I am so, so sad that a jazz album is going to go down amongst the closest ones I came to turning off without finishing. Not only is it purposefully cacophonous...the music also sounds very much the same throughout. Really, really disappointing way to present avant garde jazz--you've already broken the structure, can I get some more ideas at least?
Hosting a dinner party with people you absolutely hate and want to get rid of as soon as possible? Put this album on and watch them scramble for the door. Oh good they actually like it? Run! For the love of god just run! Forget about your belongings, get of there before they turn you into one of them!
I can see what this is in the worst 20-rated albums on this list. It was described as free jazz, but that is just a fancy way of saying it's not music, it's just noise. If you're looking to increase your stress levels or find yourself overwhelmed by chaotic sounds, you might consider giving this album a listen. If you want to stay relaxed, I strongly recommend steering clear of it.
Worst one yet
Sounds like a lorry carrying a load of drums and saxophones had a road traffic accident
Probably not what I was looking for when listening to this album. It’s jazz, but frenetic and loud, and all over the place. I think the musicians are doing incredible work, it’s very clever, but it’s not what I’m looking for listening right now, which might adversely affect my low score.
i know intellectually that this is not a 1/5, that the original compositions are beautiful and these rearrangements are very deliberately, thoughtfully abrasive - i know that my reaction to the thing is the record working as intended. but this project is ultimately for my own amusement and reference, and i very much did jump ship after 12 minutes because the listening experience stressed me out real bad.
Not available in my Spotify region, YouTube works. But it’s no loss, this album is not for me
I like jazz, but I'd rather listen to a room filled with 100 cats collectively scraping their claws on a chalkboard than this.
Racket made for dickheads
The sound of my brain falling down the stairs. Jesus what a noise. This may be all virtuoso and stuff but it's bloody awful. Zero out of ten
This is the equivalent of modern art in some ways. It doesn’t make sense to me. I get that are needs to expand and experiment, but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. This truly is an assault on the ears and while it may be something to listen to before you die. Dear God, please don’t let this be the last thing I listen to before I die!!
Makes Throbbing Gristle sound not so terrible.
I like to consider it a blessing in disguise when albums aren’t available on Spotify, and despite the kind offer from another user to send over the tracks, I’ve opted to decline and consider myself saved from a potential ear bleed
horrible!
Wasn't on Spotify.
Pros: * Cool album art * Impressively low 'fucks given' count when it comes to following musical conventions * 'Feet Music' was genuinely enjoyable Cons: * Bit samey * Kinda unlistenable
Wild, man! Outrageous! Unlistenable! You know when the band finishes a big number and holds out the last note, and every musician fills time simultaneously until the one final stinger all played together? This album is that long final note of chaos, but played the entire album length. I tried listening to Zorn around the time I was getting more into Mike Patton, both pushing the musical boundaries (especially Patton's solo work). I thought I just didn't understand Zorn at the time, or heard a few bad tracks. I honestly can hear some melodic music by skilled musicians hiding in here in parts of tracks like "Word For Bird" and "Enfant," but as a whole, it's too "everybody solo!" for there to be much cohesion. "Rejoicing" is a highlight here.
no
I just don’t get it. Jazz isn’t my strong point anyway and I guess this is the jazz equivalent of thrash metal, but I just didn’t get it. I listened all the way through and it’s all atonal noise. It’s a no from me, sorry John.
"The horror... the horror!!!!"
I was going to give this another chance. But it looks like the music gods heard my prayer. Because it has been removed from Spotify. 1/5
unlistenable
Extremely tiring
Could not play on spotify
This has to be a joke, right? Christ on a bike.
They just played all the notes at once for 40 minutes. John Zorn owes me advil.
I think there was one song, maybe 2/3rds of the way through, that was sort of listenable. And that's being kind. The rest is complete garbage. Nothing about this is interesting, compelling, or good. I was listening in the car with one of my kids (I like to torture them at times) and she, at one point, didn't realize that we were on the 7th song of the album because it "all sounded exactly the same."
Why the hell is this included? It’s like he went into the studio trying to create music that would drive someone insane within seconds. It felt like random fast saxophone notes paired with someone doing a shitty impression of Alex Van Halen’s drum intro for “Hot for Teacher”. Worst album out of the 800+ recommended so far
Just noise
Felt like just a bunch of noise; not my thing.
i haven't heard this, i tried but i couldn't
Yeah, no
Just an obnoxious clashing of saxophone solos layered on top of each other with no consideration for making the music actually sound good.
I read a couple of the reviews on the site, and the few positive ones urged me to go in with an open mind, which I very much tried to do. 'Assault on the senses' is absolutely the way to describe the first half of the album, I hadn't expected an improvised jazz record to be so intense but it absolutely does borrow from stuff like thrashcore. As it's not on Spotify, I listened on YouTube with ads, and the dulcet tones of Sean Bean advertising some phone company were a nice bit of light relief. It did improve in the second half, a lot more tuneful but still with a bit of edge. I don't think it's the worst thing we've had, but it's definitely not my cup of tea or particularly good. A 1/5, but could've been worse.
Ich finde dieses Album furchtbar. Mir ist diese Art Jazz zu chaotisch, zu unvorhersehbar. Das schöne ist, dass ich durch diese Liste überhaupt erst auf John Zorn aufmerksam geworden bin. Denn seine späteren Alben sind weniger avantgardistisch und gefallen durchaus auch mir.
the worst I've ever heard
Nicht gefunden
Nö!
This might be torcher Jazz. Crazy an violent. Has its place, but not for me.
John Zorn is a jazz saxophonist who is among the most prolific recording artists in history. Spy Vs. Spy is his tribute to jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, who is known for his free jazz style of improvisation. Zorn has recorded an incredible range of music, and this is some of the most difficult to listen to. The performers are technically talented remarkably so. While it is impressive that they are able to play this work, it is not a pleasant listening experience. It's aggressive, noisy, and frequently dissonant.
Listened to this one on Youtube. I guess I'm not a fan of Ornette Coleman. It was a bit of noise jazz and I appreciated the Youtube ad breaks to give my ears a break. Anyway, John Zorn seems cool. The next video that came on was way more enjoyable. My taste is not refined enough to enjoy that kind of music.
What the fuck. I almost cried after realizing that all the songs would sound the god damn same. There is absolutely no way to tell one track from the other. Also, who the hell told John Zorn that he should make music, let alone record an entire album? I hope that person's pillow has two warm sides. There is no actual rhythm to these songs. Every single one of them is a bunch of trumpets and drums and clarinets and saxophones put together and the deaf producer said, "There we go, that's music". I don't think I will ever understand why this album is in the top 1001 albums that I must listen to before I die. I would rather die than listen to this again.
As I near the end of this project, so many times I have had to reevaluate my feelings about jazz, most of them being very positive. I have heard so many amazing albums I have loved! This is the album I will play when asked, "How could anyone hate jazz?" Oh, boy, I hate this so so so much! This is why. Mine ears hurt.
This is why people don’t like jazz. This ruins it for anyone else. This sounds like a junior high band warming up. Nothing to see here.
Yesterday I got Miles Davis - Kind of Blue followed by…this. Opposite ends of the jazz spectrum for sure. I gave Kind of Blue five stars, so logically this gets: 0⭐️ (sigh) 1⭐️
Whoah. This is pretty awesome... i don't believe i've heard anything like it. Though phrases like "free jazz" or "thrash jazz" already kind of get me to what i'm likely to make out of it. As everything is saying, this is some challenging music, and i'm going to end up on the side that says it doesn't work for me. I feel like there is about 25% of the time that if you even isolated a single instrument (particularly the saxes and rums) that you would even want to listen to that single instrument. And then they take all 5 instruments (sax, sax, drums drums, bass) and mass them together... and you get this. I will say that i appreciated listening to it, definitely an experience expansion for me. I love someone's comment about what would happen if you casually dropped this on your playlist while driving in a car with someone. To me it just highlight the stressful nature of this music... i feel confident that if Peace Warriors suddenly became the U.S. national anthem, there would be sudden increase in the number of stabbings across the country.
Two bad eggs in a row. Sounds like five different musicians playing separate songs in sperate rooms that are now being played all at the same time.
Only listened to a bit of this on YouTube as it doesn’t seem to be on Apple Music or Qobuz. Had to turn it off as it sounded like all the instruments were being played by different people in different places at different times. Just a cacophony of noises.
Juu ei. Ei minulle.
I thought I would like the shorter jazz pieces, but this just sounds like chaos. Did not finish. 1 star.
I cannot
Truly, truly, terrible! I think Spotify removed this album to save the world from the pain it causes. YouTube of course had it, and by the end my ears were only bleeding a little. So maybe not the worst thing on the list, but it is pretty far down there!
Not on Spotify. 0/5
I'm glad this is here because of the comments and because it made me think, like genuinely question myself and what is right and wrong and nice and not enjoyable. Who knows.
This is what I call "noise torture." I got through maybe a third of it but couldn't stand it. Definitely not for me. Some sort of experimental music.
Rating: 0/10 This is fucking shit, no words can describe how awful this is. Worst album so far and might go down as the worst album on this list.
This music was trash. I even like jazz, but there was no theme or variation, just a group of people vomiting up whatever notes came to mind. Awful trash
Nothing but maddening saxophone and drum noise🥴 Worst album until now. 0/5
It's not on Spotify so I couldn't listen to it
Not available on Spotify :(
no ❤️
Helemaal kut dit.
Jazz caótico. No se distingue del ruido sin más. Un 1.
you can't be serious
Jazz is stupid and I don’t get it
Noise. This guy has like a million albums on spotify and they all sound like my 16 month old smashing a little piano.
Imagine the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, 8.0 magnitude, unexpected, and violent; but in a room full of instruments (especially saxophones). This is what this album sounds like, with the only difference being if exposed to the poor unexpecting province of Sichuan you'd have many more casualties than the 87,587 registered by the earthquake.
Nope.
I think maybe if I was smoking formaldehyde soaked cigarettes and madly charting conspiracy theories about how the postal service is full of lizard people on a white board in a basement, this music would totally work. Maybe.
Terrible
awful noise
Made me feel sick. I don’t believe anyone actually listens to this. The ultimate pretentious ‘music’.
This album should have been called insects dodging traffic. Did they say everybody go to a different room, play you instrument as fast as you can and then we will put it together?? Organized chaos makes sense for one don't but over and over it's just noise and really loses it's purpose for me.
When this album started off I was concerned about the band's safety as they were clearly falling down a flight of stairs. But as the noise continued I realized that this is a very long flight of stairs or perhaps they were just tuning up. It turned out that it totally didn't matter if they were in tune or not because this album is a noisy piece of garbage. However, I did enjoy jumping around the room like crazy to this music. I got some pretty good cardio but it could've been so much better if Richard Simmons had been asked to do some vocals.
What the hell even is this? My ears feel tortured. Easily the worst album I’ve heard in my life.
FRANTIC & FRENZIED This will be my 1,046th album rated. There's so much boring music on the list I've come to really appreciate the ones that sound like no other. However, I still hated this ugh I never want to hear any of that again ha
did not listen
56 seconds. That’s a new record! That’s the shortest amount of time I’ve spent listening to an album before I had to turn it the fuck off.
This gave me PTSD and made me shit myself.
This is way too cacophonous for me. I couldn’t get through it, so I listened to Ornette Coleman’s “Change for the Century” instead and that was beautiful.
not very good. aggressive drums and horns ruin this
what a mess
Nee man.
C'était quelque chose pis jle comprends pas.
I could only stomach seven minutes of this. It is genuinely one of the most stressful and headache-inducing experiences of my life. How is it possible to find this enjoyable? I would confess to crimes I had never committed after the opening 15 seconds just to make it stop. I've selected the first track as my favourite, but really I mean the first second or so, when hope still existed.
Uh, no thanks.
Absolutely unlistenable. This is anxiety. I hated every second of this. I am sure somebody likes this but, to me, this is a classic example of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Worst album I have heard in years. 1/5
This should not be on any ‘music you should hear’ lists as it sounds like a bunch of kids pretending to play instruments. Only could stand the first 8 minutes so it deserves a -1. Garbage.
Some of these "songs" sounds like every kids first time playing the organ sound effect on a keyboard, did not enjoy.
This album was a migraine in waiting. A dumpster fire that I could not extinguish fast enough. There's a reason why you can't find this streaming on a normal platform. Because it's hot garbage.
Unbridled hot garbage flowing through a sea of complete ridiculousness on it's way to my foot, so I can put it in someone's ass for making this.
My girlfriend forced me to turn it off after 20 seconds. I Thank her.
The first half is unrelentingly frenetic. Not for me. Too exhausting. By the time the slightly less chaotic later half came around I was so done with the whole thing. I’m going to go find somewhere to eat my lunch in silence.
Intense free jazz. Got through it, but was a bit of a struggle
I'd call this avant-garde, but the number of different letters in the term "avant-garde" makes it way too diverse a term to apply to that drivel. That was 41 minutes of utter nonsense.
Was this not just the same thing for 50 minutes? I don't get this.
I mean... these are obviously talented musicians, but this was pretty awful. There is a reason nobody uses two drummers. In their defense it did get slightly more musical in the last 4 songs, but it was still a pretty painful listen. I knew it was bad when an Applebee's ad came on and I was happy for the break.
I don't get it.
No.
Why would you do this
oh my god. this... okay this album gives me a headache. i don't like it very much. this is like... actual freeform. actual avantgarde jazz. drums pound at unimaginable tempos. saxophones squawk like a pair of birds. there's brief periods of stuff that i am able to follow but the big majority of this album is actually... i just didn't like it. it's not for me at all. i would say if you're an academic who's trying to get all they can when it comes to avant-garde jazz samplings, listen to it. but this album actually ruined my day.
An album of nyc traffic
... the fuck? "Hey, I have an idea! Let's just randomly play our instruments as loud as we can!" "And we'll all be playing the same song?" "No way, why would we do that?! We can just call it 'art' and that way no one can criticize us!" Oh my god, this one sucked. Don't do drugs, kids.
It's like a never ending end of a song. Is it music or is it just noise? Just can't really appreciate any cohesion between the musicians beyond some fleeting moments. Rough listen.
Reading some of the other reviews, I understand why this may have been added to the list. Was it a minority choice to appease the jazz listeners? It was barely listenable, and I’m somewhat a fan of jazz. Every so often something would bloom from the chaos and be quite nice, but then degrade back into noise. The high point is that I made it through the whole album… 1.5/5
That was painful from start to finish. JZ’s Spy vs Spy is squeaky, out of tune sax over bombastic drums and fast paced bass; it’s more like noise with musical instruments than songs. I thought I heard music on two (possibly three) occasions but it devolved into noise with musical instruments very quickly each time. I didn’t think running could get much worse, then I went running while listening to this album. It was significantly worse than usual. Trashjazz in at (0.8*s)
Unable to listen to this on Spotify, but found the full album on YouTube., although I shouldn't have bothered. Wikipedia gives the genre as Avant-Garde Jazz / Free Jazz / Punk Jazz / Thrashcore which raises so many red flags. The album title, "Spy vs Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman", is pushing the term "music" way beyond my defintion of music - I think that "vaguely musical noise" would probably be a better term. I'm 7+ minutes in, and the 5th track has just started, (I think), but it just sounds like one continuous track, and it's giving me a headache.
No esta en Spotify
Not available on Apple
It’s on YouTube as a 47 minute long video, which is probably its perfect form as just a meandering weird single entity. Free form jazz, much like all the other jazz we’ve had here so far, not for me.
You're taking the piss now
Wank
I tried... I really did... but could not tolerate this despite a few glimpses of something worth listening to sprinkled in there
Can’t make it more than 5 seconds. This is noise. Unbearable noise.
Like kicking an orchestra down the stairs of a mental hospital, I spent 40 mins laughing which may not have been the reaction they were hoping for. I imagine each musician was handed different 2 hour scores and told first one to finish wins. I honestly cant decide if this is genius or the sound track to a schizophrenic episode.
Extremely uncomfortable listen, can't imagine anyone actually sat through its entirety without going insane.
It's nothing but explosive Grindcore jazz in your face. I definitely felt the emotion they wanted to portray but my god this was a hard listen. I couldn't finish it. I don't even have a favourite song as it all felt nonsensical.
This is, without a doubt, the most chaotic thing that I've ever heard. Imagine like two different artists just being told to do whatever the hell they want but as loud and fast as they can with no relation to one another, that's this. I feel stress just sitting on my couch listening to it. He could be the most technically talented saxophonist in the world for all I know, but why would anyone want to listen to this? The only reasonable thing is the cover art which seems to depict various violent scenes, that makes sense to me after listening to this. To top it all off, it's not even on Spotify. Do not recommend. Favorite song: Feet Music Other: Good Old Days 2/14/24
AWFUL. Just too random.
Why did you do this John?
Album wouldn't play on Spotify
You hear one minute of this album and just wonder how the hell am I going to get through 40 more? ::Cue early memories at Nanny and Grampy's house:: The beginning is pure cacophony, like a moving truck full of instruments just flew off the road to avoid a puking cat. Then (almost exactly halfway through) the madness lines up for a few brief moments and it leaves you wondering if you're really just missing something, not understanding it or appreciating it. I'll admit the last half only improves by a small margin and listening to the full album gave me a physical stomach ache. But I can respect the free form style, the fast-pace, and the experiment. It's actually quite difficult to drum this unrhythmically and to make a saxophone squeal like that. I found myself referencing the minute's time to see which "song" I was on (and make some kind of correlation) which made it slightly more tolerable. My ears don't even really know what to do with this. It's like death-metal but make it jazz. It's either a 0 or a 5, no doubt it will be polarizing. I guess I'm glad I heard it but I would never put it on.
I actually was cracking up throughout this album. I went and listened to some of the originals and I appreciate Zorn condensing them down but it was just too chaotic. Between the squealing dolphins and dying elephants it was a riot. I think my brother-in-law could play sax in this band. 😂😂
This sounds like they told a bunch of ADHD children with no musical skill to pick up instruments and play them randomly. Car horns blaring while a set of monkeys smash drums, random elephants having their trunks stepped on, various flightless birds being picked up and punted, a litter of cats being thrown up against a wall of drums, etc. There are various ways to describe the absolute chaos over the first 20+ minutes of the album. I'm actually questioning whether myself and a group of my friends could go into a studio and spend a day to generate something more ridiculous to be passed off as music. Everything is mind boggling as to how this ended up on any sort of list by acclaimed music critics. Halfway through it all of sudden morphs into a somewhat controlled arrangement before mostly devolving again by the end of the album. All this did was confuse me whether I'm supposed to take this seriously or not. While I will never listen to this again something about it tickled me. At various intervals throughout the 40 minutes I found myself just listening and giggling like an idiot at my desk. Overall its surprising the amount of enjoyment I got out of an album that I can truly say I don't like at all. Consider me fully bamboozled. 0.05 star. Can't wait to see other reviews for this.
Can’t find it on Apple Music. Having read the Wiki review I can say for sure that I would have absolutely hated it. Whilst I have been surprised a few times by this list, I have complete conviction in my guesstimate of a 1 rating.
Absolutely fucking appalling
41 minutes of schreechy, squealing, headache-inducing chaos. Entirely too much going on and if anyone tells you they find this album sonically pleasing, they are lying to you. I award this album no points, and may God have mercy on its soul.
Everyone solo at the same time!
Irritating. Some tiny shows halfway through that they can make listenable music but they spent all their energy on being alternative instead
Album is not on Spotify, so no standout tracks. Lyrics/Vocals- N/A Instrumentals- I honestly don't fucking know Vibes- 0/5 Overall- 1/5 Avant garde is not for me, but I figured I'd give this a try. Holy shit I tried... it's a cacophony of noise. It sounds like somebody rubbing balloons together and stepping on rubber ducks while someone else fills a dryer full of loose change. My cat hated it. I let a few YouTube ads play all the way through just to get a break from it. That said though, it takes a level of impressiveness and talent to improv in such a way. This album was not for me, and I know very few people who would actually like this album if any at all. But, if you're looking for a quick way to end a college party then look no further.
Okay, looks like an early inspiration for Fantomas. With albums like this you have to appreciate the virtuosity, but it only gives you a binary approach - you love it, or you hate it, no in-between. And even though I tried, it was just a straight way to epilepsy. Still, a really interesting and original album.
I'm not ready for this...
Not my thing. I like jazz but this sounded pretty chaotic and didn't have much flow to it. 1/5.
100percent unlistenable
😥
Normalerweise höre ich die Alben immer beim Lernen, hätte mich bei dem aber glaube ich danach einliefern lassen müsse.
Ich verstehe Jess nicht.
Tandon Scale Rating: -1 Standouts: none Foot Notes: 1 1:18 in and I’m having an anxiety attack 2 nope I can’t do it Would I Listen Again: they played this to get information out of other spys Album Cover Rating: (1-5) 5 Album Name Rating: (1-5) 2
Oh god no, not sure what I was expecting but not that
La mayoría de las canciones son difíciles de digerir (la 1ra es insufrible) Prefiero por lejos el jazz clásico. Algunas canciones tienen forma y se pueden disfrutar (la 2da parte del disco). Si bien entiendo y respeto el planteo de una escucha distinta de la música dentro del disco y del estilo, no es algo que elegiría escuchar.
Not for me
Nope. The worst kind of “jazz”. I don’t even consider this music. If I could give 0 stars I would. Some people abuse the privilege of being able to release music.
Wat